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James Geisenfeld's date of birth
This is the day in which my Grandfather was born -
First photos of James Geisenfeld as a baby
These are photos of my Grandfather being held by my Great Grand Mother Sara in June 1934. -
James with his Mother and Father as a Young Infant
My Grandfather is here with his mom and dad as a small infant. -
James with his Father shortly after turning 1 year old
Another great photo of my Grandfather with his Father -
James being held by his Mother
My grandfather was always being held up as a child -
James Plays Baseball as a young boy
It was only a prelude to his success in sports -
James spending time with his family
This is my grandfather with his cousins. He is far center. It is probable that his sister was also with him in this photo. -
James Goes to the Beach with his Mother and Father at age 3
My Grandfather had grown alot! He spent a lot of time as a toddler with his mother and father. -
James rides on his tricycle at age three
He was riding -
James in a sailor outfit at age 3
What a guy -
James standing outside in nothing but his underwear
He loved to be outside -
James playing baseball with his father
He loved sports, and was a very strong athlete -
James playing football with family/friends
This was one of the sports that my grandfather succeeded at the most -
James' writing in school
My grandfather excelled at school as well. It is funny though that his writing looks nice here, but as he got older and even today, it looks more like chicken scratch. -
James' hand made note for his mother
This was a beautifully made card that was given to my great-grandmother. I was surprised at how nice it looked, given my grandfather's lack of artistic talent. -
The Writing inside the Note
Who knew my Grandfather was such a poet? -
James' Bar Mitzvah Speech
At age 13, my grandfather studied and had a Barmitzvah, a Jewish rite of passage. Here is his speech, which is always written by those who take the rite of passage. -
James was part of the junior softball team that won the championship
Although this is not a sport that requires divine athletic ability, this was only one of the many sports my grandfather excelled at. -
A photo of James' baseball team
My Grandfather is in the first row, far left. He was a good player -
One of James' varsity letters. The P Stands for Purgolder
Being a star athlete led to a choice further on, before he left for college. -
James posing with the varsity basketball team
My Grandfather is #30, he was a guard. He was one of the top juniors. -
James in the local news paper's headlines for sports
This was not his only game in which he had more than one touchdown -
James playing football for the Purgolders
My grandfather was incredible and was a key figure on his team. -
James was "the number one touchdown maker"
Always in the headlines, he was a star -
James featured in an article as the "hurdling halfback"
They even called my grand father "big Jim" At this point in my grandfather's life, he had already decided that he would attend law school, and pursue a professional life. Although his high school coach asked him if he wanted him to put in a good word for my Grandfather at Wisconsin, my Great-Grandparents insisted that my Grandfather live a professional life. He was inspired to pursue law as his favorite uncle Charlie was a successful lawyer throughout my Grandfather's child hood. -
James' Varsity Letter in Basketball
Despite this being my grandfather's least favorite sport, he still was on varsity! -
James hurdling over the hurdles
Look at him go!!! -
James' Varsity Letter in Track
He jumped the hurdles. When he got hurt his senior year, they sent trainers from Wisconsin to look at him. -
James' varsity letter in football
My Grandfather was on three varsity sports teams in high school. -
James with the track team
He was one of the returning lettermen on the team. He was hurdler primarily. -
James enrolls and attends the University of Wisconsin-Madison
James not only attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his undergraduate studies, but also attended law school here. -
James readng a magazine in his dorm at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
I am not exactly sure what year my grandfather was in college at this point, but he was very interested in learning, and getting a good education. -
James chilling with his fraternity brothers
Some of his fondest memories, and best friends came from his time in Zeta Beta Tau -
A toast from the men of Zeta Beta Tau
My grandfather is in the second row, towards the right -
James with his fraternity brothers in 1954
These were good times for my Grandfather -
James with his girlfriend, the last woman he saw before my Grandmother
This woman's name is Iris. They had been going steady, however my Grandfather wasn't in love with her. She was going to bring her parents down, in hope that James would propose to her and thus be engaged, however, my Grandfather ended things, as he did not love her. He was not a womanizer or "ladies man" but he was very popular with the girls at the University of Wisconsin. -
James Graduated from Law School in the Spring of 1958
James would practice law for over 50 years. He just recently retired a few months ago. -
James ties the know with Beverly Sanderson, a women he met while attending Wisconsin
It's a good thing he married Beverly, as she is the best grandmother in the entire world! -
James' letter from JFK, who at the time, was running for president at the time
James was running for election as an assemblyman in the 19th Assembly District in Wisconsin. This letter was intended to show support and to provide the common goals they shared, as both my grandfather, and the late President Kennedy were democrats. -
James' Army cards
He never served in the army, but he could have -
James' document stating that he had been honourably discharged
He never served, but it still tells something about the time in which he lived in. -
Another one of James' advertisements, as well as the results of the election in which James placed third, but received the most votes out of all the Democrats
My Grandfather almost accounted 3,000 votes, which was stunning, at the time, for the area in which he was running. -
An advertisement for James when he ran for election as an assemblyman in 1969
He had several newspaper ads. He ran a fairly good campaign, and did very well given that his district was almost all republican, and he was a democrat -
James, his wife, Beverly, and other supporters of his campaign
My Grandmother recently told me that she could not stand politics and was happy that my Grandfather had not been elected. She found the entire realm of politics to be overwhelming and extremely stressful. -
One of James' business cards
James was a successful lawyer for over 50 years -
James' plaque from Northmont Area of Commerce in Ohio
He was very successful, and truly enjoyed his work! -
James' daughter Diane joins his law firm after graduating law school at Capitol University & Passing the Ohio Bar Exam
My Mom would only go on to work for my grandfather for 6 months as she would get married, and leave for Brookline, MA in 1990. To quote her, she says "it sucked," as she truly enjoyed working with my grandfather -
James plays in the 1993 Ameritech Senior Open Pro-Am
Michael Jordan in fact played in this pro-am. My Grandfather told me that when MJ was hitting some balls on the driving range, one of the pros told him "hey Michael, you're not getting enough air under the ball." My Grandfather and his professional partner tied for first place! His partner signed this plaque. -
A Link to My Grandfather's Website
This website goes intot detail about the specific categories my grandfather specialized in throughout his career as a lawyer. http://www.accidentattorneyeaton.com/about-us/ -
ZBT Reunion 1997 @The University of Wisconsin
My Grandfather returned to his Alma Mater, the University of Wisconsin, for his fraternity's reunion in 1997. He was a member of the Zeta Beta Taus, or ZBTs, and this is a photo of him with his brothers. -
James' letter from President Obama, and the First Lady, Michelle Obama, congratulating he and his wife Beverly on 50 years of marriage
It is interesting to note that my great-grandfather got a letter from President Reagan, congratulating him on turning 80 years old -
My Grandfather and I
I am my Grandfather's 6th grand child out of seven. This is us together on my last visit to Dayton, Ohio for Thanksgiving -
One of James' Law advertisements
He was very successful as a lawyer in Ohio
